Traitors Among Us

by christibabe

This is an AU story, possible canon characteristics of characters as well. Eventually a Babe HEA. Stephanie will run into Ranger and the Merry Men and her life will be forever changed. The story starts with Stephanie living somewhere besides Trenton and although she has vowed not to return there she finds she must in order to protect herself and the young girl in her charge.

10. Hurt Too Much

Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers, and I am only borrowing them. There are some original characters that are mine, and I claim them as mine.

Spoilers:Anything from books 1-19 might be used, so if you haven't read them all, you might want to wait to read this story.

This is an AU story, with a mix of characters in canon as well.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who review as guest, as well as those of you who don't allow PMs. I love the reviews and want to tell you that I read and appreciate them all. Thank you all. Special thanks to JenRar for coming along as beta on this one. I appreciate all your help. I'd also like to thank Vanessa Loor for translating my English into Spanish. Any mistakes are mine.

A/N: I ask for your patience in allowing me to develop the story. I guarantee the end result will turn out if you can just keep believing.

Chapter 10: Hurt Too Much

Stephanie's POV:

I wasn't sure what time it was, but the sound of voices woke me. When I looked over, I saw that Bree was sitting up in bed, rocking herself back and forth. I reached out and placed my hand on her arm as I softly asked, "Are you okay?"

Bree turned sad eyes in my direction, and her voice was barely audible as she said, "It was bad. She hid so he wouldn't find her, and he beat her friend to death in front of her because she refused to come out. He kept telling her if she came out, he would stop and he would let Maria live, but she knew he would kill them both. She's blaming herself, and now she's afraid of her own brother."

I sat up and pulled Bree into my arms, gently caressing her soft hair. "We'll have to help her find her way back."

Bree shook her head. Tears fell down her cheeks as she said, "I'm a horrible person, Steph. I just want these visions to go away."

"You aren't a horrible person, Bree. No one should have to live through the kinds of things you see, let alone have to watch someone else live it."

"Hector brought her back to his apartment, but it's not going well. She's in a bad place, Steph."

"Don't worry. I'm going to go help her. Try to get some sleep."

Bree clung to me as I tried to move away from her. I kissed her cheek and told her, "It'll be okay. I'm going to bring her back here. You and Micha helped to bring me back, remember, so it's not like we don't know what's involved."

Bree sighed and hugged me closer before she nodded and said, "You're right. We need to help Angelina." Bree lifted her head, and I could tell from the way her eyes weren't focused that she was seeing something else. After several seconds, she slumped, and I waited till she slowly raised her head and our eyes met once again. "Julie's having nightmares too. It's bad! Ranger's going to need help. He needs your help. Micha and I will go help Angelina."

I bit my lip. "Are you sure?"

Bree nodded. "I'm sure."

I nodded and slipped into the jeans and top I'd discarded before going to bed as Bree slipped into her own clothes before we went to wake Micha. Micha was sleeping on the couch, and when we entered the living room, I gently shook his shoulder as I called his name.

He was awake instantly and asked, "What?"

"Hector's sister needs help. She's in a bad place right now, and he's going to need help with her because she's afraid of him." I paused before continuing. "Bree says Julie's having a nightmare and needs help too. I need you to get me to Ranger's apartment before you go to Hector."

Micha nodded and slowly stood. "All right. Let me get dressed and we'll get going." Micha handed me his phone and said, "Press two until the phone connects the call, and then tell Ranger you need access to his apartment. It's the only way to get you up there."

I nodded and took the phone while he went to dress. I pressed the number two, and when I saw the call was going through, I put the phone up to my ear. Suddenly, it stopped ringing and I heard, "Yo."

"Ranger? This is Stephanie. I need access to your apartment—"

"Get in the elevator."

The line went dead, and I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at it with widened eyes. What the hell kind of goodbye was that? At that point, I didn't have time to worry about Ranger's less-than-stellar phone manners because Micha had joined Bree and me in the living room.

I turned to Micha and said, "He told me to get in the elevator."

Micha nodded. "Good. Bree and I'll take the stairs."

I bit my lip. "Let me just leave a note for Grandma to tell her where we are in case she wakes up."

I quickly wrote the note and we headed into the hallway. Micha pressed his key fob for the elevator, and I stepped inside while they continued on to the stairwell. I watched as the numbers lit up, and sure enough, the elevator took me directly to the seventh floor. When the doors opened, I stepped out and noticed there was an open door, which I assumed led to Ranger's apartment. I heard the sound of someone crying and made my way toward it. What I saw had tears burning at the backs of my eyes. Ranger was seated on the side of the bed, holding a little girl of about ten in his arms as she clung to him and cried her heart out. She looked so much like Ranger, it was obvious they were related.

As if he knew I was there, Ranger looked up, and the look in his eyes made my heart ache. He quickly slammed his blank face down and motioned me forward. I made my way over and sat down beside them. I wasn't exactly sure how to start.

The girl screamed and clenched her hands into fist, striking Ranger's chest as she cried, "Why didn't you come for me? You promised you would come for me!"

The brief glimpse of Ranger's face told its own story. It was as if someone had put a knife in his heart. He looked over to where I was sitting, and I could see the question as clear as day. I reached out and placed my hand on Ranger's shoulder so the girl would know I was there, but hopefully I wouldn't scare her.

She quickly turned in my direction, and her eyes widened as she asked, "Who are you?"

I smiled gently at her and said, "My name's Stephanie. You're Julie, aren't you?"

Julie's eyes widened. "You know who I am?"

I nodded. "You're Ranger's daughter."

Julie looked at Ranger with confusion. "Mom said you were disappointed I was a girl and no one even knew you had a daughter."

Ranger looked grim as he replied, "I've never been disappointed that you were a girl. My reasons for not telling anyone about you were to keep you safe."

Julie's face contorted in pain as she cried out, "But I wasn't safe! He was always there in the house…watching everything I did."

I froze, suddenly feeling as if I couldn't breathe. I didn't want Julie to shut down if I asked too many questions, but I suddenly had the feeling she had something to tell us that wasn't going to be good. "He watched you?"

"Yes! I told my mom, but she said I was making it up because I didn't want her to be happy."

"Why would she think you didn't want her to be happy?"

"Because I wanted to live with my dad."

"And she didn't want you to live with him?"

"No." Julie used her hand to wipe away the tears before adding, "She told me Dad paid her to take me to Germany with her so I would be out of his hair."

I felt anger at the woman who claimed to be this girl's mother. "You know she lied to you, right?"

Julie stilled and looked to her dad before turning back to me and replying softly, "I hoped she was. I even tried to run away, hoping they would send me back to Daddy. But then she told me he was dead and Robert started watching me even more. I got creeped out, so I tried running away even more."

Suddenly, sobs racked her little body.

I swallowed the lump in my throat before I asked, "Did he ever touch you, Julie?"

Ranger's head whipped in my direction, and the look on his face told me if he ever saw Robert, the man wouldn't live to say hello.

Julie hesitated before shaking her head no, and I had to bite my lip before forcing myself to ask the next question.

"Did he ever make you touch him?"

Julie looked up at me, and I wanted to strangle someone. The look in her eyes tormented me, and it was all I could do to stay still and wait for her answer. She lowered her head and whispered, "He would come in when I was taking a bath and watch me. There was another man with him, and he would rub himself down there. He wanted me to, but I wouldn't." The tears streamed down her face as she continued, "He told me when he came back that I wouldn't be able to tell him no because I would belong to him."

I felt Ranger tense, and I didn't need to look at his face to know whoever that man was, he'd just signed his death warrant. Ranger lowered his head toward Julie and said, "Baby, if I'd known what was happening, I would never have left you with her. I was trying to protect you. Three years ago, a man tried to kidnap you because he wanted to get back at me. When we took care of it, your mother wanted to take you to Germany with her to keep you safe. I thought I was doing the right thing. I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that, and I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you safe."

Julie looked at her father with tears in her eyes and said, "The worst was when she told me you were dead."

Sobs once again racked her little frame, and Ranger held her close to him. I didn't know what else to do, so I leaned into him and we waited until Julie settled. After a couple of minutes, Ranger put one arm around me. I stiffened at first before I forced myself to relax.

Julie turned to me and looked at me for several moments before saying, "You hurt a lot, too."

I met her gaze and slowly nodded. "Yes, I guess I do."

Julie hesitated and then slowly reached out her hand and placed it over mine. "My daddy will protect us both now that he's found us."

I looked up into Ranger's face and saw the truth of her words in the raw emotion that was briefly on his face before he shut it down. I whispered, "Our own personal Batman."

Julie looked confused for a moment before she suddenly smiled and nodded. "The Dark Knight, because Daddy always wears black."

I smiled and replied, "Exactly."

Bree's POV:

I went up one flight of stairs to the fourth floor and followed Micha to Hector's apartment. Micha knocked on the door, and it was suddenly thrown open and Hector stood there glaring at us.

"Que quieres? Estoy ocupado." (What do you want? I'm busy.)

Micha met Hector's less-than-welcoming gaze and said, "Vinimos a ayudar." (We came to help.)

Hector looked at Micha with suspicion. "Porque?" (Why?)

Micha straightened to his full height and put his hands on his hips, declaring, "Por que hemos pasado por esto antes y tu hermana necesita ayuda." (Because we've been through this before and your sister needs help.)

Hector suddenly looked more vulnerable, and I knew it must be costing him to admit, "Ella no me deja ni acercarme a ella y soy su hermano. Que te hace pensar que tu si la puedes alcanzar?" (She won't even let me near her and I'm her brother. What makes you think you can get to her?)

I spoke up for the first time. "Ella me va a dejar." (She'll let me.)

Hector's expression gentled as he spoke to me. "Tu eres una niña. No puedo—" (You are a child. I can't—)

I cut him off. I needed this to end because it hurt too bad already and I didn't know how much more I could take. "Ella y esta herida y yo lo veo todo. Si no me dejas ayudarle ambos vamos a seguir pagando por eso." (She's hurting and I see it all. If you don't let me help her, we'll both keep paying for it.)

Reluctantly, Hector replied, "Esta bien. Ven." (Okay. Come.)

Hector led me to a bedroom, where I saw a girl of about nineteen or twenty kneeling on the bed, rocking back and forth with her arms wrapped around her waist. I slowly made my way inside, not wanting to frighten her any more than I had to.

I gingerly sat on the side of the bed and said, "Hola, Angel. Mi nombre es Bree. Mi hermano Micha trabaja con Hector." (Hello, Angel. My name is Bree. My brother Micha works with Hector.)

Angel turned to me with a blank expression, as if all her emotions were under lock and key, as she asked, "Que tu haces aqui?" (What are you doing here?)

I replied, "Se que estas sufriendo. Yo se lo que el te hizo mientras te escondias. Tienes que dejar de culparte a ti misma. El los hubiese matado a ambos y se hubiese salido con las suyas." (I know you are hurting. I know what he did to her while you were hiding. You have to stop blaming yourself. He would have killed you both, and then he would have gotten away with it.)

Angel turned to me and I saw the nightmare in her eyes as she said, "Estoy asustada." (I'm scared.)

After seeing her nightmare, I knew what she was most afraid of. "Se que lo estas. Si no lo paramos ahora lo va a volver a hacer." (I know you are. If we don't stop him, he'll do it again.)

Angel shook her head. "No se si soy lo suficientemente fuerte." (I don't know if I'm strong enough.)

I nodded. "Lo eres. Eres tan fuerte como mi amiga Stephanie. Tex le hizo daño a ella tambien." (You are. You are as strong as my friend Stephanie. Tex hurt her too.)

Fear entered Angel's eyes as she asked, "Como hirio a Maria?" (Like he hurt Maria?)

I nodded. " Si. Pero nadie le hizo caso y se mantuvo libre?" (Yes. But no one would listen and he went free.)

Angel's eyes grew wide, and I knew she was petrified of Tex going free again. She asked, "Y si lo dejan ir libre de nuevo?" (What if he goes free again?)

I smiled at her and asked, "Crees que Hector permitiria eso?" (Do you think Hector will allow that?)

Angel's eyes met mine and she looked sad. "No quiero que mi hermano mate por mi." (I don't want my brother to kill for me.)

I bit my lip. I didn't want to scare her more, but I knew she needed a perspective that would allow her to live with it if Hector did in fact end up killing for her. I told her, "Si meten a Tex en la carcel eventualmente va a salir. Tan pronto salga va a salir y buscar a otra joven y herirla." (If Tex is put in prison, he will eventually get out. Once he gets out, he will go out and take another young girl and hurt her.)

Her eyes took on a hard glitter as she said, "Si tuviese una pistola le disparaba yo misma." (If I'd had a gun, I would have shot him myself.)

I made a wry face at her and said, "Bienvenida a la Hermandad." (Welcome to the sisterhood.)

Angel bit her lip and tears pooled in her eyes. She looked away and nearly cried, "No puedo parar las pesadillas." (I can't stop the nightmares.)

I gave a tiny nod and assured her, "Mejoran con el tiempo." (They'll get better in time.)

Angel's voice was barely audible as she asked, "Como puedo continuar?" (How do I go on?)

I reached out and placed my hand on the bed beside her as I replied, "Un minuto a la vez." (One minute at a time.)

Angel looked down at my hand and said, "Tengo miedo." (I'm scared.)

I turned my hand over so it was palm up and said, "Ven conmigo y juntas sobrepasaremos esto." (Come with me and we'll get through this together.)

Angel shook her head. "Eres sola una niña. No puedo permitir que pelees mis batallas." (Your just a child. I can't let you fight my battles.)

I hesitated before asking, "Sabes lo que es la cognicion?" (Do you know what cognition is?)

Angel shook her head as she answered, "No. En realidad no." (No. Well, not really.)

I took a deep breath and then decided I needed to trust her with this. "Es la habilidad de ver las cosas como suceden. Estoy aqui porque te vi soñando y se que le temias a Hector. No porque pensabas que te iba a hacer daño sino porque lo has visto actuando violentamente en el pasado y porque acabas de ver a tu mejor amigo sangrar hasta morir al frente tuyo." (It's the ability to see things as they happen. I'm here because I saw you dreaming and I knew you were afraid of Hector. Not because you think he will hurt you, but because you've seen him act violently in the past and you just watched your best friend beaten to death in front of you.)

Angel looked at me with something close to awe. "Asi exactamente es como me siento." (That's exactly how I felt.)

I raised my hand that was still near her and asked, "Vendras conmigo?" (Will you come with me?)

Angel nodded and softly agreed, "Si." (Yes.)

We walked out to the other room where Micha and Hector were, and I let Micha know that Angel was coming to our apartment with me. Hector objected at first, but when Micha asked him what was more important, what he wanted or his sister's comfort, Hector reluctantly agreed. When we got to our apartment, I showed Angel the room I would share with her. I knew Stephanie would need to stay at Ranger's apartment in order to help Julie, so everything should work out. I handed Angel a pair of earplugs, and she looked at me funny until Grandma Mazur let loose with a snore that might actually hit a nine point nine on the Richter Scale. Angel's eyes widened and we both started laughing.

We got ready for bed, but before I could crawl in, Angel asked what would happen if she had a nightmare and I told her I would know. She looked at me for several long seconds before her expression turned sad and she said she was sorry for the price I was paying.

We finally crawled into bed and slept relatively well until morning.